The more land a person owned, the more wealth and power that person had. European rulers, like the King of Spain and the King of Portugal, wanted to claim as much land as possible and use the people that originally lived there as slaves. Some countries would literally do anything to possess more land. They believed that glory was to be found in the adventure and in the land they hoped to claim. Their dream was to no longer be poor sailors and become wealthy lords that were well-known among the people. Even though the Spanish Empire was already quite powerful, it was important to them to be known as a powerful empire by other empires. They wanted to be the best of the best. Being at the tail end of the Middle Ages and feudalism and being in recent wars, Europe had created a culture that glorified the military and its leaders. Men who performed good deeds or participated in wars were granted land and other riches. However, there was only so much land in Europe, so explorers would discover huge amounts of land to seek personal glory there. Spanish explorers wanted to be known for their journeys. For example, after Christopher Columbus returned from his voyage, everyone knew his name. Even to this day he is a well-known person in history. The explorers were inspired to make a name for themselves and to earn respect in their
The more land a person owned, the more wealth and power that person had. European rulers, like the King of Spain and the King of Portugal, wanted to claim as much land as possible and use the people that originally lived there as slaves. Some countries would literally do anything to possess more land. They believed that glory was to be found in the adventure and in the land they hoped to claim. Their dream was to no longer be poor sailors and become wealthy lords that were well-known among the people. Even though the Spanish Empire was already quite powerful, it was important to them to be known as a powerful empire by other empires. They wanted to be the best of the best. Being at the tail end of the Middle Ages and feudalism and being in recent wars, Europe had created a culture that glorified the military and its leaders. Men who performed good deeds or participated in wars were granted land and other riches. However, there was only so much land in Europe, so explorers would discover huge amounts of land to seek personal glory there. Spanish explorers wanted to be known for their journeys. For example, after Christopher Columbus returned from his voyage, everyone knew his name. Even to this day he is a well-known person in history. The explorers were inspired to make a name for themselves and to earn respect in their